Calling Out
by Etaminz
Summary: Vlad gets a call from Jack and Maddie that they caught the ghost boy, ofcourse he couldn't stay away from such an event. However he finds out that Danny being dissected might not be the best idea.


Calling Out

The phone rang, disturbing Vladimir Masters from his endless task of sending mails to manage his companies and the many people that worked there. He hadn't bothered to look at the number before picking up the phone and holding it to his ears, even though he might have wanted to. "Vladimir Masters, speaking" He said calm and professional to be loudly greeted by a voice on the other side. "Vladdie!" Immediately the man held his phone thirty centimeters away from his ear instead and looked everything except amused. "Jack, to what do I owe you the pleasure of you calling me while I'm very busy with work?" There was a large amount of spite and sarcasm hearable in his words, but nothing of that would ever get through Jack's thick skull. In a way it was very amusing, it allowed him to be rude and let out a bit of his frustration towards the man, but on the other hand it was very frustrating to watch how idiotic he was. Just like now. "I know we haven't spoken in a while, V-man, but I wanted to share this big news with you." Jack spoke enthusiastic over the phone. Knowing it was the wisest to just let the man talk, he engaged in the conversation. It was that, or Jack would try to keep calling him. "What is it?" He asked, not hiding his lack of interest. "You finely saw how you lacked as a man and husband and decided to divorce so Madeline could have the man she needed?" Vlad mumbled under his breath, only half listening when Jack answer his non-meant question. "We finally caught a ghost, that ghost boy that has been in town for a while now, it got himself caught in one of our traps. Maddie is already busy preparing things so we can do a full analysis on the guy."

The moment Vlad heard the words 'ghost boy', he was all ears. This was very interesting news, it could be even called good news. A wicked grin appeared on his face at the grasping of the situation. Poor Danny had gotten himself caught in an anti ghost trap in their house and was about to be examined like a frog in biology class by his own parents. Their stupidity and ghost obsession was finally getting back at them as it would literally tear their family apart. Oh how much he would love to be there when it happened. "Jack, that is very impressive news. Would it be possible for you two to wait a bit before starting so I could observe the entire examination you are planning? It is a very rare opportunity." He spoke smooth as he stood up from his chair, closing the laptop in front of him. "That's a great idea! Three people can make better observations than two, in that case we won't miss a beat of what happens. I will inform Maddie right away, let me know when you think you will be here. Besides, that ghost boy is going nowhere." With that Jack ended the phone call. Immediately Vlad went to make arrangements to leave as soon as possible. The never ending mails didn't matter right now, he could finish most of those in the plane and he could notify the rest he had urgent manners. This was a one in a life time opportunity and he wasn't going to let it slip. Watching his arch-nemesis being slowly killed by his own family and all he had to do was sit back and watch.

Not much hours later Vlad was inside the house of the Fentons. Jack had greeted him with a killing hug and Maddie had given him a doubtful glance and a handshake, not entirely trusting him after what he had pulled. But this time he couldn't bring himself to flirt with the lovely lady in front of him, no matter how beautiful Madeline was and how glad he was to see her again, his goals were set. He wanted to watch the sweet revenge fate had set out for them. Eager Vlad followed them down into the basement as Jack loudly explained how they had found the ghost boy trapped. From what Vlad could see while walking down, the basement was filled with machines giving electronically beeping and buzzing sounds, indicating that most were on for reasons, probably because they were or would involve things with Danny. When he was downstairs he saw the boy and couldn't help but have a smirk forming on his face. There Danny was, laying on his back on a fancy Fenton designed operation table, wrists, ankles and waist securely fastened with metallic anti-ghost bands to the table. His suit was still on, but some sensors had already been placed on his head. Danny's mouth was covered with some ghost tape, to keep the boy silent. Danny eyes had grown wide at the sight of him and it was obvious to say that the boy was very scared and very surprised. Ow those expressions seemed to suit him so well and he would be able to see even more of them. The three of them stood next to the table, watching the ghost in front of them with eager almost hungry eyes that the ghost visibly shivered. "So, what was your plan to start with, Madeline?" Vlad asked politely, but the question was answered by Jack. "Well V-man, our idea was to first test al kind of things while he lives, before we start taking him apart slowly, to inspect every cell of his being." A soundless groan of irritation left him at the loud talking of Jack, but he managed to keep himself down. This was not going to be ruined. "To be more precise, we want to do some scans, check some fluids and reflexes, maybe brain activity or something along those lines if that would be possible. Only after we got enough useful data we can start an autopsy." Maddie added and started walking around, laying some scalpels and syringes with needles neatly ready on the table next to her. Meanwhile Vlad could see Danny trying to look away, not comfortable with the talk of his parents about him. He was sure the younger halfa understood the fate laying in front of him as well as he did, but he was remarkably calm about it. Even though if he looked better he could see the boys eyes were somewhat greener in the corner from crying. It was so tempting to tease the boy now he was all vulnerable and couldn't open his foolish mouth and there was nothing to hold him back. "Did you already tranquilize him a bit, or is he already this weak?" Vlad said while leaning over Danny's face, like he was observing the boy closely. Danny's eyes shot to Vlad, giving the man a hateful glare and fearless Vlad glared back at him, grinning as the other two in the room couldn't see it. "We didn't put anything in him yet, it is Fenton material he's tied up with, no way he can get out of that. He struggled quite a bit of course, but it seems like he learned that as well." Of course Jack spoke proudly of their own designed machines and tools and for once he was glad at how right the man was. "I see, that is good to hear." He spoke calm and stood straight up, face going into a serious expression again. Danny apparently had put on a struggle, but it was to no avail as it had seemed, he would have expected more of the boy, after all, he had been one promising halfa. Suddenly a curious question arose him that he just needed to ask Danny, however it wasn't possible to ask such a thing with his parent around and of course he wanted to say some sort of personal 'good bye' to the boy.

"Jack, Maddie, I think when you start on this, it will surely take some time and it would be a shame if we would have to halt for such a thing as making dinner." Vlad smoothly spoke as he eyed his two old college friends. Knowing them, they forgot a lot of things once focused on something about ghosts. The couple shared a look while thinking to look back at Vlad with a smile. "Thank you Vlad, I suppose it's best we just deal with that now. Jack let's go quickly and make something easy, we can't leave Jazz and Danny to do all that." Jack let out an audible sigh at his wife's words, but followed her upstairs. "Don't dare to start without us V-man." He called from upstairs, before he heard them starting to work in the kitchen. "I wouldn't dare to." Vlad chimed, even though it wasn't hearable for Jack. He turned back to Danny, the grin again back on his face. "Seems like we have a bit of alone time, before the big event." Danny seemed to give him a look of disgust, but he was way too amused himself to feel bothered by it. "Since you got me a bit curious, Daniel, I can't help but wanting to ask. You had so much potential, the one with also most insight on the activities here and you couldn't even get out? I'm disappointed." He paused for a second to choose words carefully and listen to the activities in the kitchen, to be sure he still had a private conversation with the boy. "But even with your life on the line, I'm surprised you couldn't muster the courage to come clean to your parents and show them that you are their son. Even though I can't say I don't like where this is going." Danny shook his head violently at the words and emotions filled his eyes again. Vlad frowned at him for a second, before deciding that he was curious enough to find out what Danny had to say for himself that he pulled the ghost tape of his mouth. "You- You don't understand… I did try!" There was a sound of hopelessness in his voice and tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. "I told them and showed them! But they just thought I was a ghost taking human shapes. Even when I told them things only I could know… They believed that Danny never could be a ghost." The last sentence sounded bitter coming from the boy's mouth, as tears slowly started to roll down his face. The boy wasn't looking at the older halfa anymore, but was staring somewhere past him.

Vlad opened his mouth to make a remark, but at that point he heard footsteps on the stairs to the basement. Immediately he closed his mouth again and got into action; He pushed the ghost tape back on Danny's mouth and moved away from the boy, acting like he had been studying the equipment for the past time. Danny let out a stifled yelp as the tape was pushed over his mouth again. "There we are again, V-man, now we can go back to business." Jack said and walked in, paying not much attention to the ghost boy on the table, obviously thus not noticing the tears running down his face and the sad and pleading look that had gotten in his eyes. "We have a lot of plans, you know. Not just with the ghost boy." Vlad frowned slightly at Jacks words and at that moment Maddie came in, explaining more of their plan, after seeing the look on her college friend's face. "With the information we can gain by pulling apart this ghost we can learn a lot more about them and take on stronger ones. If it all goes well we can probably even advance our searching and catching methods, to make it focused on specific ghosts we are hunting." A feeling of worry started in the pit of his stomach and he went over the words in his mind.

Neither Jack nor Maddie seemed to be bother by Vlad's silence and started their long waited experiments like a well-oiled machine. With hardly any oral communication the two worked together, Jack handing syringes and tweezers, and Maddie taking small samples of the ghost boy on the table. Than they would be handed back to Jack who would put everything in the appropriate machine. More buzzing and beeping sounded as the machines got to work, trying to analyze the ecto-plasmatic samples that were given. His expression blank, Vlad watched the two work while his mind was going elsewhere. Slowly more realizations came to mind and it became increasingly harder to watch Danny being 'analyzed'. He swallowed and took his eyes of the boy as he heard a sharp inhale from him because of another not so subtle needle being stuck in his body to fill a syringe. Butter biscuits, this wasn't how he'd imagined he would feel. He was supposed to enjoy this, enjoy seeing the family that had tormented him for so long slowly going to ruin without them having any idea what they were doing to themselves. Jack was going to ruin his own life, like he had ruined Vlad's taking away the person he loved. He had been looking forward to this moment for hours now and he had always enjoyed seeing Danny's misery and pain. But something had made it that he couldn't stomach seeing any of this right now. There wasn't any pleasure in seeing the kid like this, in seeing Jack and Maddie taking samples of their own son. Watching a thick needle penetrating Danny's skin, made him almost feel it himself.

A shiver ran down Vlad's spine at the ghost feeling and decided to watch the machines instead of Danny. He was in no way afraid of needles but currently this wasn't sticking right with him. It felt uncomfortable and invasive having the feelings pushed onto him as an observer, like he was the one on the table instead of Danny. The realization that came with it stabbed him hard and a look of resentment came on his face for a second. He felt like he was going to be on that table as well and if it went according to Maddie's plan, he indeed would. They would not just stop at Danny that was just the start. With the knowledge they could get on the boy it would be quite possible for them to catch him next. After all, Danny and Vlad weren't much different of a being on genetic level in the end. Both Half human-half ghost, intermingled and messed up DNA with about the same abilities. If with Danny's ecto-plasma they'd manage to find ways to cancel their powers, he would become very problematic for him. The last thing that he wanted was to end up on this horrendous table and lose more than he already had lost at the hands of Jack Fenton. He didn't want to give the man any more chances on ruining him, he wouldn't be next. He would make sure there wouldn't be a next to this and especially not him even if that meant that he had to make sure they couldn't get Danny either. With a new sort of determination in his eyes he watched the three Fentons. They seemed to have finished taking samples for now and were busy with the machines, typing in all kind of things and writing down some notes. Danny stared up at the ceiling with empty eyes, not reacting when Vlad took a few steps closer to the boy again. He still felt the struggling feeling in his gut when he observed the boy in front of him, but didn't show any of it on his face. He was going to step away from his long awaited revenge, he was planning on actually saving Danny's life, for the sake of making sure that his own life wouldn't be the next in line. Saving his arch nemesis was about the last thing he planned when coming here, but if he played it well he at least could make sure that giant oaf of a Jack could get more of what he deserved.

"Mom! Dad! Why is there smoke coming from the oven?" A yell came from upstairs and Vlad supposed that it was Jasmine. Jack and Maddie looked at each other, trying to understand what their daughter was talking about. "Honey, at what temperature did you put the oven?" Maddie asked carefully, almost not wanting to know the answer. "You said fire it up, so I did." He answered without doubt in his voice and Vlad let out a painful sigh at his stupidity. Sometimes he really wondered how he had managed his college years living with that man. "I said 'fire it up carefully'." A stern look went to her husband and guilt showed up in his eyes. "Ow, I didn't hear that last part." He retorted guilty before both found focus again on the matter at hand and ran upstairs. Leaving Vlad and Danny alone again they went to help their daughter safe what was left of dinner and the kitchen.

For once Vlad would praise Jack's stupidity as he watched them leave. He hadn't needed to make an excuse to have time with Danny alone again, they had given it to him. Even though he didn't know how much, it was fairly certain that is was more than enough. With a stern look on his face Vlad walked over to the ghost boy on the table. "Daniel." He started as he watched the boy with a certain pity in his eyes. He swallowed, still not believing what he was planning on doing. The younger halfa didn't move and kept staring emptily away from the man. The lack of reaction was frustrating but he knew he couldn't brutally ask his attention. Softly he placed a hand on the nearest shoulder of the boy and his eyes snapped to him. He ignored he hateful glare and looked back at him with a serious expression. "Daniel, I don't know how long it will be until they come back, but I'm afraid it won't take long." The elder halfa gave a hasty look to the stairs and listened, but heard the others still busy upstairs. "Once I free you, you flee through the portal to my house that is the safest place and the furthest away from your parents." Danny gave him a somewhat confused look like it was a joke he didn't see the clue of, but Vlad ignored the look and kept on talking while pushing a small card in Danny's hands. "This is the key you need to open the portal from the outside. I'll take care of the things here and follow later by plane, to not bring suspicion up on me." A glance again was given to the stairs instinctively before Vlad pressed the buttons to free Danny. Hesitant and utterly confused the younger halfa sat up and stared in disbelieve at Vlad. It was obvious the boy hadn't wrapped his mind around what was happening, not that Vlad had necessarily expected it from him but it would have made things easier. "Go, now, before they come back." Vlad hissed at him, maybe sounding angrier than he actually was at the boy but it worked its part. Instantly Danny shot up and flew over to the ghost portal. As he pressed the button to open it Danny gave a look back at Vlad and Vlad could only give him a hasty nod in response before he had to focus on his own things.

The moment Danny had disappeared through the portal, Vlad changed in his ghost form and charged ecto-plasmatic energy in his hands. He had to make it convincing that Phantom had managed to escape and at the same time he also had to make sure that they couldn't get any data from the samples they had already taken. He made a quick job of destroying as many machines as he could in a short amount of time, knowing that it wouldn't take long before Jack and Maddie would come down alarmed by the noise. With an annoyed grunt he also used a clone to fire some at himself to make a convincing victim. The moment he heard footsteps on the stairs he made sure to lean against a wall and put on a pained expression. He had to play this well to make sure he could leave as soon as possible and get to his mason and Danny.

From the travel to Vlad's mason Danny could only remember some vague flashes. Adrenaline had been high in his system as he had fled from the house as fast as possible. He hadn't thought about what or why until he had arrived in front of the portal of his arch nemesis. There he halted and stared numbly at the portal in front of him. He couldn't help but wonder why he had even listened to Vlad's command or why the man had given him that command and the card in the first place. His look went from the portal to the card he still was holding. Was he really going to do this? Doubt filled his mind, but as much as he tried to think of other solutions, none came to him. He didn't dare to go back to the other portal and neither the ghost zone was a place that held safety for him. With a slightly shaking hand he held the card in front of the scanner next to the portal. A soft electronic beep that made him tense was heard before the portal slit open. He looked behind him, seeing only some rocks floating around but he felt a looming feeling that had him fly through the portal quickly and have it close behind him. He stared into the darkness of the laboratory he was in. All machines and lights were of, giving Danny some relieve. With sudden lack of knowledge what to do between his spinning mind he aimlessly walked around the lab. Somewhere at some point he had sit down, but he couldn't recall when it was or even how long he had been there. The resemblance of the labs wasn't too big, but Danny didn't want to see it and was glad the darkness was there. It felt a bit safer knowing the machines weren't on, as they had been at his parents' house. Some memories flashed by at the thought of it and he could feel ghost stings of the needles that had been in him. More memories came by and he could hear his parents' words ring in his ears. It made him flinch and before he knew it he sat curled up and was shallowly breathing. After a while it all faded again, leaving him numb and tired. He tried to focus on questions he earlier had, but he couldn't find real focus on one as the maze of thoughts was overwhelming him.

When the lights suddenly went on, Danny's mind suddenly panicked again while being blinded by the brightness. Forcefully he was faced with the fact that he was once again in a lab. A place very similar to one he fled. Rapidly breathing he stared at the place, feeling just as trapped as he had been not too long ago. He didn't notice the echoing steps or the person that made his way over to him. Only once a hand was softly placed on his shoulder he snapped out of it and stared with big blue eyes at the man that touched him. Vlad was kneeling next to him, looking calm or maybe serious? At least lacking the confident smirk the man usually wore. But neither of that was very calming for his mind as new thoughts rose up, after all, he now was in his archenemies lab, one that had sworn to make his life miserable and had planned to kill him on multiple occasions. Why would this time be different? Had Vlad just taken him away from his parents so he could have the fun on his own? A shiver ran down his spine and he wasn't sure if he wanted to look away from the man to hopefully never see him again or keep looking at him to make sure he would see what was coming. Still debating in his mind and confusion showing on his face, Vlad let out a soft sigh. "Daniel, this isn't really the best place to stay. Let me get you to a guest room so you can get some proper rest." For three long seconds Danny stayed unmoved, only blinking rapidly a few times, before a cautious nod came.

Vlad stood up again and Danny followed suit, now noticing how stiff is muscles were. It made him wonder how long he had even been sitting there. Slouching and stiff he followed Vlad out of the lab, the darkness of the hallway feeling much friendlier to his eyes than the bright lamps in the lab. He didn't pay mind to any bit of the surrounding, his brain still feeling chaotic and heavy. His focus even left Vlad as he came into the easy movement of a constant walking speed, his mind going off in foggy nothingness and almost walking up against the man as he suddenly stopped. A slip second beforehand he managed to stop himself as places a confused look to the man in front of him, wondering why the man had stopped walking. Apparently the man had noticed his lack of focus as he answered. "This will be your bedroom. Come find me in my study at the end of the hallway if you need anything, as I probably will be there." He spoke, strangely enough not in his usual tone, Danny now noticed. His thoughts stayed stuck on it for a bit, before he gave a nod and opened the door to the bedroom. The younger halfa didn't bother to turn the lights on as he walked through the room to the twin bed that was in it. Vlad gave him a look he could feel before there was a soft sound of the door closing. A sigh of relieve left is as there was almost true silence here. No buzzing machines, no beeping of monitors and no people around. The fog washed over his mind again and he just stood there, right before the bed. He hadn't known how long he had stood there before some of the numbing fog left again that he could focus a bit again. As if he was moving in slow motion he slipped under the smooth blankets. He curled up slightly to a comfortable position and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would do him good. That it would be warmer and more welcoming than the real world had been to him. It didn't take long for sleep to wash over him, yet not bringing him to the peaceful place he had wished to go. Many times he woke up, sweating and panting, only to be dragged back into sleep by the extreme tiredness. He kept trying and hoping but it seemed as if each time it only got worse. Half of the time he had no idea where he woke up and had to force all memories back up to understand where he was. After a long time of trying he gave up, sleep didn't seem to be the solution, helping him neither rest nor giving him any peace.

Aimlessly he got out of bed and wandered to the toilet out of bodily functional need, to afterwards end up sitting in the windowsill of one of the two large windows in his room. He stared outside, to the trees and birds and the sky, somewhere between a pleasant numbness away from his overwhelming feelings and the dark fog that made him feel empty and cold. It wasn't long, or so he thought that a knock on the door got through that fog and with a few times blinking he turned his head to see his arch nemesis in the doorframe. It was a strange misplaced sight for Danny, seeing the man without his jacket and the sleeves of his button up shirt rolled up. "I had expected you to come by, Daniel. You should eat something." The man noted and wore a frown. Honestly the boy wasn't hungry, but he didn't have the motivation to go against Vlad his remark as it seemed by his voice that he rather strongly insisted on it.

Without a word he stood up and followed the man to the kitchen. During the preparation of dinner Vlad kept asking short trivial questions about what the younger halfa preferred for dinner or breakfast, mostly giving two or three options. The first times he had to think a few seconds to even think about what he would want, but after a while he found a sort of strange rhythm in it, where his brain already knew the answer without actually real thinking. Dinner whatever it actually was, was done in silence. They both just looked at their food and ate their meal. After half a plate of pasta he decided he had enough and focused his look on the elder halfa. If the man noticed he didn't seem to react on it and Danny's thoughts started to wander. There were questions on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't dare to phrase them out loud, afraid of the answers that would be given. Not that he didn't think about them, but he hoped with trying to ignore them as much as possible the dreadful consequences would also be prolonged. But that was wishful thinking, he knew it would be sooner or later that Vlad would have plans with him. After all, why wouldn't the man?

After dinner Vlad excused himself saying he had work to do, leaving Danny behind in the kitchen. With the elder halfa gone again some weird feeling washed over him again, fog crawling right behind his eyes. He tried to think of something to do, but nothing seem to be interesting enough. With a sigh he started walking and after a short walk he noticed he was in front of the game room and he entered it. He couldn't really be bothered if Vlad had allowed him there or not as he sat down into one of the lazy chairs. He grabbed a controller within reach and looked at the possible games available. He saw a familiar game and decided to give it a try. After a good fifteen minutes in he lost interest and tried a different one. A new one would be able to keep him interested right? But not more than twenty-five minutes later he also closed that game again. A sigh left his mouth as his blue eyes wandered off the screen to observe was for the rest in the room. Not much actually of interest, either it were electronics he currently couldn't bother to care for, or the 'normal' decoration Vlad has in his home. It didn't take long before his mind wandered off again and the remote ever so slowly seem to slip out of his hands unnoticed. This time the fog came with thoughts and memories which he tried to tend away, but even the loud music of the game that was still on couldn't ward it off. He felt tears well up and it wasn't long before they streamed down his cheeks. It felt in a way relieving to let it out, to let it all out.

All sparks of hope had been chattered by his parents. He had so hoped that they would have believed him if he told and showed he was a half ghost, but the truth that he was faced with was much more cruel. They had thought he had been a total ghost and no secret only Danny could know was good enough to convince them otherwise. He had hoped to at least be able to escape, but his father was a bit too good at making anti ghost equipment that he was held helpless. A shiver ran down his spine and he helplessly gasped for air at stinging knowledge. He had never felt as alone as this, no bullying or detention had ever made him feel so miserable. There was no way he could ever go back to his home, because his parents would surely test if it was him. Of course they would and the only thing that would come out of it, was that he was a ghost. He had never wanted to curse his ghost half as much for existing as now. Not just home wasn't an option anymore, the whole city pretty much. He would be dead meat if they even saw a glimpse of him again. The memory of his parents hateful looks and treat at him made him curl up and with a 'thunk' the controller fell on the floor, but he didn't paid mind to it. The sounds was lost between thoughts and panicked breathes. He lost it, he lost everything. There was no going back to his old life, it was all over. He didn't saw any future from here, what could there even be for him. He was now at Vlad's place but there was no way that man would want him to stay. Or would the elder force him to join him in his evil scheming? He didn't wanted that, he really didn't… but what option were left? Maybe Vlad had realized that as well and wanted to use that against him now? The tears seemed somewhere to have slowly stopped and after some time his breath was evened out as well. He stared and the bright screen and slowly sat up, feeling his head buzzing in a numbing way. In autopilot he turned off the device again and walked back to his room. He somewhere hoped that a shower would wash away some of the feelings or at least take away still lingering feelings of the needles for a moment. With his core it wasn't strange to feel cold, but it had never been an uncomfortable one after he had learned to control it. It seemed to stretch over him in a different way than it used to, the cold starting in his head instead of chest.

When he walked into the room, he noticed a clean pair of clothing laying on his bed and he had to assume that it was Vlad's doing while he was gone. He undressed and threw the clothing on the chair in the room before walking to the bathroom. The shower turned warm fairly quickly and a breath of relieve left him as he stepped under it. The warmth was nice and soothing, making him forget everything for a limited amount of time. He welcomed it with open arms and wanted nothing more than to stay there forever, but he knew that such a thing wasn't much of an option. After a good fifteen minutes he dragged himself out of the shower, drying himself with too soft towels that felt like clouds, making him wonder if it even was real. Truth however told him it was and a heavy feeling filled his limbs. He slouched back into his bedroom and pondered if he would want to wear the clothing Vlad gave him, he felt in a way reluctant about it, but he couldn't eye the other clothing that was filled with memories as well. New clothing seemed thus to be the best option and he silently slipped into the clothing. It seemed comfortable enough, but unfamiliar because of that. The warmth of the shower and clothing made him drowsy and he decided to give sleep another try again, after all, he had to sleep at some point.

The following time seemed to go in such odd rhythm of pain, numbness and trying to distract himself. Once a while Vlad would fetch him for dinner or breakfast or whatever it would be. Time seemed to go dreadful slow and every bit of time alone, everything seemed to haunt his mind or distress him into nothingness for what apparently were hours. He didn't bother caring about time, he slept when he felt like it, or more when his body forced him to. He became to dislike sleep more and more at every try he did and tried to keep it off as much as he could. It was an endless struggle he could never win as sleep was something he needed to have, yet he furiously wished he didn't had to. Vlad never asked question about it. The man didn't ask about anything that wasn't food related actually. The man was an intellectual person that surely would have noticed the dark circles under his eyes, but he was certain the man didn't care about it. It was obvious the man wasn't an emotional type, besides anger and empathy didn't seem to exist in his dictionary. In a way it frustrated him, it frustrated him how he could feel all this and the man next to him was feeling nothing. Yet, no matter how it frustrated him when he was filled with emotions, it scarily calmed him when he was next to him. He sighed at the thoughts as he felt the now too common feeling of loneliness keeping him company. He had gotten a habit of hugging his pillow, and was doing so now, but didn't seem to wield away any comfort currently. No matter what, he right now wanted the feeling gone, he really wanted that, no matter what, he knew otherwise that the fog would follow not much later as he could almost feel it crawl to him. As if the feeling could literally grab him, he quickly got out of bed and walked out of his room to only stop in front of the door end the end of the hallway. Suddenly he felt all hesitant again, wanting to walk away, but fear that lurked right behind him seemed to keep him staying.

With a shaking hand he knocked on the door and the voice on the other side told him to come in. Silently he opened the door, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Expectant Vlad watched over his reading glasses to see Danny from behind his desk. The look didn't seem to make it easier and preferably he would walk out again or just ask something silly about dinner. He stood there nervously trying to find words, not able to meet the man's gaze and looking restlessly in all directions but his. For a second he opened his mouth to say something, but the moments his eyes came close to meeting the elder, he lost his voice. Vlad didn't seem to have the patience for Danny's lack of words and stood up, walking over to the boy and folding his hands behind his back. "What is it, Daniel?" He asked, frowning as he inspected the boy trying to find out what was the problem. An even deeper frown formed on Danny's face and he bit his lip in frustration, almost drawing blood. For a second he clenched his fists, before he took a hastily step forward and wrapped his arms tightly around the elder halfa's waist. He could feel how tense the other was, but didn't let go, only tightening the hold as the warmth of the other was easing away the lurking numbness. It was a lot more comfortable than he had imagined, the feeling of another person close to him seem to give him a small spark of hope even if that other person was Vlad. For a good minute Danny had held onto the man before he let go and took appropriate distance again, feeling the awkwardness of his action wash over him, yet not regretting it. All that time Vlad hadn't pulled away or even tried to and he doubted the man would have been in shock for such a long time. "Uh…S-sorry… I kind of needed that." Danny mumbled nervously, again not daring to eye the man, waiting for a snarky remark but it stayed silent for a while an answer followed. "I see…" With that Vlad turned around and walked back to his desk, making it impossible for Danny to see his facial expression. Not having thought out this part of his plan he stared at Vlad who walked away from him and decided that he didn't have much more reason to actually stay. As silent as he came in he left again, but couldn't help but feel relieve over him as he walked back to his room.

With a frown on his face Vlad sat back down in the chair behind his office. He couldn't help but be still somewhat confused about what just had happened. Obviously he knew clearly what had happened, Danny had hugged him, but his thoughts were stuck on why the boy had made such a decision. Vlad had invited him in here and gave him food, but besides that hadn't been giving the boy any kind of gentle attention. Yet he had gotten in into his mind to find comfort at the elder halfa. Looking at it purely statistical, he was the only person around to ask comfort from and the only person close by he knew, that they naturally were ach nemesis didn't seem important anymore. Apparently the fear the boy had through what had happened was bigger than the fear for him. It was a strange and confusing thought. As if black and white had been turned around, his parents now were the evil ones. He shook his head at the idea, Danny was probably just very wild confused by all that had happened. But it brought his focus to a question that had been clawing in his mind ever since the boy had come here. Should he take advantage of this? Danny was practically offering himself to the elder and he could make good use of that. He had been tempted multiple times, while leading the boy to his room or when he left him again in the kitchen. It was too easy to have him now he was here but no real action had made it through. He could brainwash him to be his son or servant without much struggle with his weakened state of might. He doubted actually if the even had the energy to pull off a physical fight at all. The dark circles under his eyes and the somewhat hollow look made him doubt the boy could fight anything more than his own mind currently.

A sigh left the man's lips as he stared at the documents in front of him, trying to focus back on work but not being able to quite yet. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't bring himself to do it. It bugged him that he couldn't and he hadn't been certain why. He closed his eyes and recalled the memory of a few minutes ago of Danny walking into his office, looking at him and mostly not looking at him. Suddenly it hit him and with force he stood up, throwing his chair back and threw everything off his table. Immediately after that he managed to regain his calm again while taking a deep breath and afterwards started pacing the room. His hands tightly behind his back and frown again strongly visible on his face he paces circles in the space in front of his office. He wanted to smack himself for his stupidity and not seeing it earlier. After all, it had been so obvious but he knew himself, he hated to face that part of him and pushed it deep back. But as much as he could lie to himself there was a limit and he was obligated to himself to give into this and accept it. The last thing he could do was lying to his past self and especially his past self of that age. Danny was currently very much reminding him of his younger self right after the accident. Again it was the big oaf Jack that had messed it up and made this happen and of course they would do the same to Danny as they had done to him; let him rot. He couldn't allow himself to do the same thing to the younger halfa, he knew the pain and loneliness like no other. The feeling of rejection and the beliefs that had haunted him for years and years before he managed to get back up. No, he had the power to do what Jack couldn't and that was protecting Danny from that pain and be a better parent to the boy. It was already idiotic that Danny had tried to live in a house full of anti-ghost equipment and anti-ghost traps. Blood and ecto-plasma was bound flow because of that. But the naïve boy had believed in his family and that they weren't out to harm him. That had been tremendously proven to be wrong as his parents had planned to use him as a lab rat, or more as a frog in biology class. If it hadn't been for Vlad wanting to come over and watch him the boy would already have been dead within 24 hours. It had been a good thing that he had come over and ended up freeing Danny, but now the hardest part came. After all, beside that Vlad had familiar experience, he wasn't a skilled man when it came to honestly comforting people. However there was no way he could betray himself thus he would force himself a way to make the boy trust him and pull him through all that haunted him.

It was early the next morning when Danny came by again, while Vlad was furiously typing out mails to some people about careless mistakes that had been made and now needed to be fixed. He had told the boy to come in, but hadn't moved from his seat as he was still typing as the other seemed to be awaiting a response. Only once he was remotely content with his email he focused on the boy in his study. He took of his reading glasses and gave him a patient look. "What can I do for you, Daniel?" he said, trying to sound as honest and nice as he could. Danny gave him a look before averting his eyes again and an obvious uncomfortableness went over him again. He noticed the younger halfa was taking a step back again, as if he wanted to leave and he couldn't help to let out a soft sigh. He wasn't good at this and Danny wasn't helping if the boy wasn't telling him how he could be of assistance to him. Smoothly he stood up and made his way over to the boy, making the other halt his movement, seeming not sure what to do. Vlad tried to urge him again, without hoping to scare him off, rather aware that the boy had more than enough reason to not trust any of his intentions even if he had good ones. "What is it Daniel?" That supposing was the right question to ask as Danny suddenly again attached himself to Vlad, hugging him tightly once again. This time Vlad was mentally prepared for the action and after a few seconds he wrapped his arms around the others body gently, as it seemed the best thing to do. The boy tensed up for a second at it the touch, been after that seem to relax him more than before. It was strange to consider this was his arch enemy he had wanted dead. Now it was a boy he wanted to live and protect him from what had harmed both of them. In a strange way it also felt calming to his own heart, he had never considered hugging would be such an efficient thing. He had always assumed it was something that people instinctively called for rather than it being anything useful, one of those useless leftovers from evolution just like an appendix.

After a few minutes Danny let loose of Vlad, to have the elder follow suit and take a step back from the boy, folding his hands again behind his back. Again there was confusion on the boy's face and hesitance, making him shift his weight from one foot to another. The boy opened his mouth to speak, though it took a few seconds before actual words came out. "W-Why did you…y-you know?" He stammered, big blue eyes going off and on Vlad while a frown was fixed on his face. "Daniel… I want to help you." The elder halfa sincerely spoke as he tried to look deep into the boy's eyes. As if it was almost impossible the boy looked ever more confused than he already had been before. Big blue eyes this time stayed on his face, almost expecting a grin to appear on the elders face. But it stayed out and he just looked at him with all seriousness. "If there is anything you want to talk about, you can come to me." Vlad continued, taking the silence of Danny as a form of acceptance. The boy blinked a few more times while staring at the man in disbelieve, before a very cautious nod came. "…But why?" the raven haired boy blurted out, hugging himself in response. "I-I'm your nemesis." Vlad nodded clearly in response, before his looked wandered off the boy to find the right words for him to answer him. "I'm aware of that, however, I do not see that as a current priority as you are in no state to fight and-" Cheese Logs, that wasn't the best response as he immediately received a glare from the boy. However he wasn't going to give up now, right after a failure, he had to make this clear to the younger halfa. "And I believe that you are not deserving of the treatment they gave you. What they did to me back than is one thing, but treating their own son like a monster is an entire different thing." He growled in disgust, making the boy losing his glare again, his bright blue eyes getting their soft spark back. Danny seemed to ponder for a bit, but was pulled out of his thoughts as Vlad continued his talking after some seconds. "As much as I hate to admit it, Daniel, you are in a mental state very similar to one I have been in, many years ago. During that time I didn't gain any help from the people around me, but I do not wish such a thing for you." He walked away from the boy, towards the window, staring to the vast woods outside as he remembered his past too well to his liking. "So I decided to be the one that will pull you through it, even though I am obviously not the most suited person for such a deed." A frown was on the man's face, knowing he admitted a lot more than he should have to the boy. But he couldn't stop his stupid mouth from running, as apparently, the boy was also affecting his emotions increasingly. The point was that the things he told were true, very true that it scared him how easily he confessed them. Yet the only thing he could do now is hope that his honesty gave him the trust of Danny. Knowing that the younger halfa still was skeptical and doubting even it this state, made him wonder if it would do much. Lost in thought he hadn't paid much mind to the others whereabouts even though he should have. It surprised him when he suddenly heard loud sobs behind him and he couldn't help but wonder if he said something bad, turning around in worry. Then between the sobs he heard Danny trying to say something, however his hiccupping made the first three tries totally non understandable. "T-Than-nk y-you." Danny finally managed to muster to the elder's surprise as the teenager tried to wipe the tears off his face and stop his crying, however without much luck. With a weak smile Vlad walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, to not much later again be forced into a hug by the younger. This time the boy was hiding his face against the man's broad chest and he was worried about how it would ruin his suit with all the tears and slime, but didn't have the heart to shove him off or even tell him to move his face. Thus he just let it slide, after all, he had more than enough suits and he could just let this one get cleaned if it indeed had gotten dirty.

Once Danny had calmed down again he let go again, seemingly shy and uttering a thank you to the man, before slipping out of the room to leave the man again with his paper work and thoughts. After a few seconds of silence, he let out a soft sigh and resigned himself back to his mail. He forced himself to focus and reread it, to find out he had made some mistakes in the last part of it, to fix it afterwards quickly and sending it. After that he sat back in his chair, discarding the work for now to think back critically to what he had said to Danny. He couldn't help but noticed that he had said 'them' instead of blaming it all on the giant oaf called Jack. No, he hated both of his old college friends equally for it. Jack was just a total idiot, always had been and he couldn't understand how he ever had managed to live with the man during his collage years. He couldn't understand his own nativity expecting that an insensitive man like him would care. He had left him rot in the hospital and had obviously managed on multiple occasions that he was able of harming his own child if not children. Vlad wasn't blind, of course he could see the bruises the boy had that were far too obvious from anti ghost weapons, at least to him. He was familiar with bruises of bullying, familiar with bruises from anti ghost weapons and also very familiar with the damage ghost powers did. Every time he had seen Danny he could see a scar or bruise that gave him an idea what had been going on earlier days. He hadn't felt pity for the boy when he saw them, after all, those were the risks that came with taking such responsibility as wanting to protect a city from ghosts as a ghost himself. However he furiously hated the blindness of those that seemed to promise safety yet couldn't give it. Madeline had been such a bright and sharp person, but Jack seemed to have changed that, no, not just over years, but practically the moment they met. Once those two were together the rest of the world seemed meaningless to them and it was how those two had managed to not notice at all he had spent years withering away in a hospital. Even she, as bright as he believed her to be, hadn't noticed a single thing. No, she surely had noticed things, after all, that was mother instinct but that wasn't enough to explain all that had been going on. Worse yet, even though she thus knew things were wrong, she hadn't done a single thing. She had become obvious and stupid to the world, where she had been so bright and sharp in. It was a disappointment, so to say, seeing that the person he loved had turned like that, those parts that he had loved the most. Of course she was still beautiful and kindhearted, but the depth she once had seemed gone and with that realization also the flame he'd had for years. Twenty years of burning unrequired love had suddenly turned into ashes like it was nothing, making him feel pathetic about it all.

He collected his thoughts again and watched the strange rhythm they had built over the few days, consisting of Vlad picking up Danny for breakfast, lunch and dinner and Danny once or twice a day going to Vlad for a hug. Sometimes Danny managed to say a few words considering how he was doing, mostly getting a calm response from the elder trying to give him some hope and encouragement. In a way that seemed to work, as Vlad noticed that the boy started to eat more again and looked brighter than before. He couldn't help but be somewhat relieved at the progress, seeing that the teenager was stronger than he first had anticipated. Danny had always creased to amaze him on the most unexpected moments, there was even at the most hopeless times more will in him to fight than one would expect from a teenager that was used to bullying. A slight smile had made his way on this face at the thought while he was stirring the soup they would have for dinner. Danny was sitting at the kitchen table pondering, as the elder had noticed a frown on his face. Personally he found the face Danny was pulling rather amusing and didn't try to ask what was on his mind. After a few times more stirring and a short taste test, he announced the soup was ready and served it. Danny had quickly become familiar with the house and it after the second day he had automatically started helping the elder with the preparation for the meals. Without words they had smoothly found a balance in their living together, making Vlad almost worry every time the other hadn't come by for more than half a day. Almost.

Dinner went quiet and only once Danny had finished his soup, the boy spoke. "Hey, Vlad?" Vlad gave a hum in response between his spoons of soup, shooting a glance at the younger halfa. "Would it be okay if I went outside for a bit?" He asked in a soft voice, sounding like a kicked puppy, big blue eyes looking up at Vlad. A silence fell where the elder first raised his eyebrows, than knotted in a frown to after that go back in his normal calm façade, ending with a small gentle smile. At the same time Danny got more uncomfortable, fumbling with the hem of his shirt and biting the bottom of his lip awaiting the response. "Of course, Daniel." He responded and calmly continued his soup. With that the teenager let out the breath he had held, feeling a relieve wash over him. It was strange to remember that Danny was here entirely out of his free will and that he wasn't planning on running away. This was currently the best place for him to be, if not obvious because it was the safest place without troublesome people asking questions. "Cool, thanks." Danny responded, now almost looking eager to jump up however he didn't. The boy waited patiently till Vlad also had finished dinner and the table was cleared again before he walked off with an obvious goal in mind.

Content Vlad walked to his personal library to do some reading, after all, even he couldn't do work all the time. He picked up the book that was left on the table and quickly found where he had left off. The moment he wanted to start reading again, he heard a noise and looked up with a frown. It seemed to come from outside and with a lightly hurried pace he walked over to the window. There he saw Danny standing in the rose garden, shouting at some birds that apparently had managed to poop on him. Curiously he watched the teen mutter things and fiddling around on his place before familiar white rings appeared around his body. The rings only appeared for a second, before de disappeared again, not having changed. Even more restless the teen seemed to be after it and started pacing around in the garden, before suddenly coming to a halt. From the window he couldn't see the boy's face, but assumed there was a well-known look on his face, seeing the stance he was in. Shoulders back, feet wide, chest puffed forward and probably a very determined look in his eyes, that very familiar look he always got when the boy went to his ghost form. And indeed, a second later the rings appeared again and the boy changed into his alternate self. The moment he watched him fly out of sight a worried frown made his way. What if Danny decided to go back or just leave? Would he do that? Vlad swallowed a lump he started to feel in the back of his throat and tried to see any reason why the boy would leave. Problem was that he found too many reasons, after all, Vlad still had been his enemy for years, even if he hadn't behaved like it the past days. The moment he saw Danny again a wave of relieve washed over him, knowing that the teen hadn't left. He really didn't want the teen to leave, he wanted to help him and prove his worth, prove he was so much better than those fools. Besides he had an idea about the devastating consequences if Danny went back now to his parents, that wouldn't be talking or helping, that would be fighting and shouting and only more pain to the boy his heart. How he had imagined his talks with his friends the first times he woke up, the first times they would meet again, none of that being calm and collective, not with the emotions still so fresh in their mind and heart. One wrong word from Jack or Madeline and they would break their son for real. Such a sight wouldn't be one he would be able to face, already feeling anger start boiling inside him at the idea of it.

Danny flew around care free, chasing after some birds, before Vlad resigned himself to his chair and book he had planned on reading. A sigh left his lips and he forced himself to relax as the opened the book, reading the content and easily being drawn into it. It was a book discussing the latest findings at CERN and theories included into the ones that were still being researched, this including subjects like dark matter and anti-matter. It were topics that always had his interest even if he wasn't working anymore in the science field officially. After all, being a CEO was more economics and politics on this level, but that didn't keep him from also reading into the technical and scientific parts his companies had. Something also quite useful for his 'hobby' that consisted of making anti ghost weapons. He didn't know how long it had been, when he suddenly heard his phone ring. With a frown he put his book down and walked over to the phone, checking the number, after all, his companies would call on his mobile, not his house phone. The number visible confirmed his suspicions and as calm and uninterested as possible he picked up the phone. "Vlad Masters speaking." He spoke and held the phone on a small distance from his ears, just in case. To his surprise a young female voice spoke. "Mister Masters? This is Jazz Fenton, I would like to talk with you." Even though Jasmine phrased it polite, her tone was more demanding, however, Vlad wasn't worried by it. "You surely aren't beating around the bush, but that is no problem. What do you wish to discuss?" He answered smoothly and relaxed into the chair that was near the phone. Talking like this was his kind of field and especially with Jazz it was bound to be interesting. "I know Danny is with you." She whispered, as if other people weren't allowed to hear, probably meaning thus that her parents had no idea where Danny was or at least weren't allowed to know. "Why would you think that, Jasmine?" He asked back, not feeling like he had to be honest to the girl. Surely she was smart and had figured it out, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Not to mention she would probably demand him to 'give Danny back' and that wasn't where he was waiting for. "Don't play dumb Vlad, I know it, Danny isn't at one of his friends places and you left in quite a hurry after he 'miraculously' managed to escaped." She fired, almost hissing through the phone in anger, but it didn't faze the elder. "You almost sound like you are angry that he managed to escape." The man fired back, testing how strong the girl was with all this. After all, Jasmine was one over protective sister, but he needed to know where she stood, she either was with her parents or with Danny and there was no in between. "Of course not! They would have killed him! They- They didn't know…" She yelled and Vlad couldn't help but notice a held back sob through the phone. "Their naivety is no excuse." The man answered ice cold back as he almost glared at the phone. She really was just making up excuses, this was a waste of time. "I- I'm aware of that. I talked with them and well… managed to convince them that it really was Danny and that he is a half ghost. Sam and Tucker backed me up enough that after an evening of discussions they believed us…" She spoke softly, almost as if she was more talking to herself than to Vlad, Vlad raising an eyebrow at the story she told. "And what do you want me to do with that kind of information?" The coldness still in his voice, he spoke with a large lack of interest as he watched to the window. It was silent for a few seconds before Jazz spoke again. "Nothing much I suppose… Just that I hope you take good care of Danny." With that she hang up, leaving the man frowning and pondering in his library. Apparently the girl knew Danny was here and tried to trust him with her younger brother? It wasn't necessarily a bad outcome, rather than an unexpected one.

While wondering how this would and could work out for him and Danny he walked back to his study. However he didn't get much time to ponder, as he noticed Danny sitting in his study almost jumping up scared at the sudden sound of the door opening. His hair was damp, probably because he took a shower after his flying around, to get the bird poop out of his hair. There was a distinctive frown on his face and his shoulders hung heavy to his body. The energy the teen had had, was gone again and the unsure and scared Danny he had come to know, was back in full force. "Daniel?" He asked, breaking the tense silence between the two. Big blue eyes looked up to him, before casting away again, sitting down on the chair that he had sat earlier as well. "What is it? You seemed to be enjoying yourself earlier." He noted it as a dry observation, not accusing the teen of anything. Apparently the other had gotten familiar with that and just nodded. "It was… But it was lonely, I miss everyone…" The elder could feel a small stab of pain, but knew he should have expected such an answer. Danny had friends and family he wish to see, even if they had done nothing to protect him, well at least his parents hadn't. Maybe his two friends could come over here and give him what he needed? Problem was, that those two seemed to hate his gut more than Danny did. Possibly his sister could come by instead? She was cunning and smart and seemed to understand the situation and besides that wasn't entirely ignorant. However that would raise a lot of suspicion from Jack and Maddie and it would be a problem if those two came here.

"Do you think I can ever go back to them?" Danny softly asked, disturbing Vlad's thoughts and scared blue eyes looked at the elder halfa. Vlad swallowed, he was in a mental fight with himself. He wanted to tell the boy he would be able to in time and that he spoke to Jazz, but he didn't want to see him leave so quickly only to have his heart shattered in pieces. He knew he couldn't keep him endlessly here, especially not against his wish, after all, the boy was some fiery fighter, but a part of him wished to do that nonetheless. No, he had said he would prove he was a better parent, a better person fit for Danny than his parents. That meant he would be honest with the boy and not let him suffer the way he had. Even if that meant he got back involved with others, he just had to keep a sharp eye on him and the people surrounding Danny. He was without doubt the perfect suited man for such a thing, after all he was a powerful half ghost and wealthy man. With that determination he looked back at Danny and gave him a smile. "That is possible yes, but it is wise to give it some time." He responded as he walked over to the other chair in the room. Once he sat down he leaned on his desk and looked deep in the teen's eyes. "Daniel, I have to tell something." He started, gaining a nod from the other allowing him to continue. "Earlier I got a call from Jasmine… She apparently had a hunch you were here and was worried about your well-being. She managed to explain…rather convince your parents what you are. From her reaction I can assume they regret what they did, logically." He spoke and let out a tired sigh. Big blue eyes staring at him blinked a few times before the teen opened his mouth. "R-Really? So I can go back?" Danny almost jumped up at the answer and seemed obviously to want nothing more than going back. However than he sank back into his chair, probably getting a realization. "You probably want me away as quickly as possible right?" He mumbled after it and averted his eyes to the ground. Surprised by the second part Vlad stared at Danny, wondering why the boy sounded like he didn't wanted to leave here, while he wanted to go back just as much. He wanted to tell the younger halfa he could stay as long as he needed, but something in him couldn't bring himself to say such words. After all he discussed it seemed silly, but those things all had been past feelings. This however was a new feeling he wasn't sure about what it had as consequences. He swallowed back his words and decided upon a more calm and logical answer. "I think it's for your well-being to not immediately go back after such an emotional event." The rational answer managed to convince the teen of the doubt. "I guess so, I mean, I'm not really sure how to view my parents right now. I can't help but feel slight scared… But maybe that's just because of the nightmares." Vlad watched Danny biting his bottom lip in agony and trying to find a good outcome in it. "Don't worry about that now, Daniel, you can go back to them when you feel ready for it." He tried to calm, however not having the result he wanted, getting a deep sigh from the teen and curling up a bit, making him look more fragile than he already was. "I'm not sure if I ever will be ready for that." He muttered before he could catch himself speaking such words. Practically, Vlad could feel a beam of satisfaction in those words, but he knew well enough that it was Danny's fear talking rather than his rational self that would never give up on his parents. After all, he had fought for them many times and from his questions it was clear that he still wanted to go back. Even with that knowledge he still felt it, wanting to be told he was important to the boy in a way even if it was in a messed up way like this. He called himself pathetic and desperate for the feelings, but didn't fight it, after all, what more feelings had he left after all this time.

With the talk from earlier fresh in Danny's memory he was laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling while darkness was in his room. Every bit of the day seemed so unreal at this point, the flying around in his ghost form and the talk later after that. It all seemed too good to be true after the past few days. Jazz calling to here seemed farfetched, even though she was smart, why would she think he would have willingly gone to the home of his nemesis? There was no logic behind such a thing. Not to mention that she managed to convince their parents. It sounded more like a hopeful dream than the reality. He only could remember those angry and disgusted voices of them, yelling at him how he was not their son and that he should stop lying. He dryly swallowed as he could almost hear them again. Why was he thinking about this, he didn't want to think about this and hear those voices over and over like he had past days. He couldn't take that anymore, not now life seemed so perfect and smooth. Everything was too good to be true, after all, he wasn't a type of person with such luck. He firmly closed his eyes and covered his face with his arms. Could it be that Vlad was lying to him about this? It wasn't unlike Vlad to lie and that this all had been one big set up? But it seemed strange for him to lie about his parents accepting him, unless he wanted him gone. That had to be it, after all he was nothing more than a useless pile of emotional teenager. Probably the man had hoped to be able to comfort him and get him to his side or something. Vlad always had wanted him to be his apprentice and nothing was easier when he had nowhere to go and a man like him could promise him solutions. Obviously he wasn't what the elder had hoped for, currently he was an emotional mess with no expectation of getting that straightened out soon. So he just had to get a rid of him, tell him a sweet lie to get him out of the house. Nothing was stronger than his wish to go back to his parent and telling him that they love and accept him as their son, even though he is a half ghost. The man didn't even had to lift a finger to him, he could just send him back to his parent and he would be caught again and this time pulled apart for real. There was no way he would be that naïve and believe such a thing. He knew better and wouldn't play right in Vlad's hands.

A groan left his lips as he sat up and watched the first light already peering through the windows. It was morning already and he hadn't closed his eyes at all and partly he wasn't sure if he wanted to. It was still tempting at times, but he knew it was hopeless, especially after this. Like he was afraid that Vlad would attack him in his sleep or tie him up and dissect him himself. He couldn't trust the elder after all. The man was just emotionally playing him and he had to fight back as trusting as the words sounded. Maybe he should take the initiative this time and not wait till Vlad would attack him. The elder halfa was stronger, but if he had the advantage of surprise he would be able to get quite far. Determined he got of the bed and walked out of the room. Around this time it was guaranteed that even the elder was sleeping, which allowed him to find some things first before getting to action. He sneaked to the lab, feeling a slight shiver as he entered the place, not liking the vibe and memories it brought. But he didn't want to give in and fought the thoughts away as he walked through the lab, looking for anything he could use. A pair of anti-ghost cuffs were found in a drawer and on the table in a corner he found the Plasmius Maximus. He found that sufficient and with those in his hand he sneaked to the master's bedroom, forming a plan in his head as he made his way to the place. Deciding that the man might wake up from ghostly action, he entered carefully through the door, opening and closing it soundlessly behind him again. In the darkness he could still make out the man lying on the bed and it seemed that the action hadn't woken him up. He took the cuffs and silently moved closer to the bed, watching for any move the man might make. But Vlad didn't stir at all while he slept in his bed, relaxed and sprawled out under the silken sheets. His silver hair was loose, laying in wave like strands around his head. With the lack of seriousness on his face, Danny had to admit that the man looked hardly scary, but he couldn't be fooled by looks. He swallowed and reached out for the first arm, which was laying above the sheets and managed to click the cuff around it. He saw Vlad stir at the touch and he was sure the man was about to wake up, so he quickly reached over to the other side and cuffed both wrists together before Vlad had the chance to react.

At the sudden forced movement of his arms the man's eyes shot open and soon landed on the teen next to him. "Daniel?" he grumbled sleepy, yet sounding worried. After that he tried to sit up, now noticing the restraints on his wrists and a look of confusion was quickly replaced by annoyance and anger. "Daniel, what is the meaning of this?" He growled as he managed to sit up with a struggle, glaring at the teen that obviously was the guilty one. At the glare Danny instinctively moved away from the man, ending up at the end of the bed, glaring back at the elder halfa. "I know what you are up to, Plasmius. Don't think these mind games work on me." The teen coldly stated, crossing his arms in front of him and not taking his eyes of the other. A short silence fell, where Vlad held an unreadable emotion on his face, before the man looked back at Danny and answered. "You are sprouting nonsense, boy, and I'm not up for that at this time of the day." He tried to struggle and change in his alternate form, but the moment rings appeared around him, Danny spoke. "Don't think about trying that, or I'll zap you with this." He held up the Plasmius Maximus and it seemingly convinced Vlad enough to stop his action, staying human. Warry glares went between the two before Danny spoke again. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am, I shouldn't have trusted you from the start. Playing your pity cards to get on my good side and when you found out I was going to be too useless, you were going to send me back to my parents to have me torn to pieces, molecule by molecule?" Suddenly surprise was fully visible on the elders face, big dark eyes, lips slightly parted and Danny could almost hear the man swallow. "Daniel…"

"Don't play dumb Plasmius, your cover is already blown, keeping it up is only going to make you seem more pathetic." Danny nagged and hated how innocent the elder halfa still played. It made him feel a stab of guilt, but he furiously ignored it and absolutely refused to show it. The man was evil and it only showed more with how strong he played his role. "This is just going to end the same way as always, I'm going to kick your ass and you are going back to be an old and lonely man." With that said he changed into his ghost form and took an attacking pose. He loaded ecto-plasma in his hands and panic flashed through his opponent's eyes at the view of the dim green light forming. "You are wrong, I- I'm serious this time, I'm not manipulating you, I genuinely care about you!" Anger and panic seemed to fill the man as he yelled back at Danny, but the teen didn't faze and placed a shot. Vlad ducked and it only barely missed him, hitting the wall behind him instead and doing fair damage on it. The elder didn't bother looking back, knowing how emotions fueled the power of his attacks, as it had with him for years. "Oh, sugar cookies! I never lied to you since you came here! I don't want you to have to go through the same pain alone like I did, I don't have the heart to see you suffer the way I di-" The sentence was cut short when Danny flung an ecto-plasma loaded fist at him which he didn't manage to dodge, getting a full load to his shoulder. More followed, a punch here and a kick there, while Vlad could hardly dodge or do any more than trying to lessen the impact. After some strong hits Danny paused, panting and filled with rage, eye glowing very bright in the darkness of the room. Vlad gritted his teeth slightly at the burning punches, closing his eyes in the pain, but quickly opened them again to give a strong gaze to the younger halfa once he had stopped. "It's true they called, you know, you can call them, they will tell that yourself." A sigh left the man's mouth and a strange smile came on his face at the lack of response from the younger. Danny's head was fuming, ignoring every word the man spoke, all the sweet words he wanted to believe in. He focused on his hate, on his rage, but that had slowly started to fade. No matter how much he hated Vlad and the man had betrayed him and used him, he couldn't beat the other senseless. No, he had done enough and he now probably could get away without problem. Slightly shaking he floated to some distance of the elder, keeping his eyes on him, waiting for some sign before he would go away. However the strange smile had him confused and made him pause his thoughts for a moment. There was no reason for that man to smile. Danny had seen entirely through his act, had caught him and beaten him at his own game. Or was he mocking him? It didn't seem like that kind of smile at all, he knew the face that Vlad made when he mocked the younger halfa and this wasn't the same.

A frown of confusion made his way on Danny's face and Vlad seemed to take it as a sign to continue talking. "Maybe I was too hopeful to even expect you to belief me on any bit, but in this way you will end up just like me. You have a good reason to hate me and hurt me… but you shouldn't go down the same drain just because of that." The smile seemed out of place, his words seemed out of place and suddenly everything felt unreal. His hate and rage burned down further and confusion and fear took their place back. Danny took some deep shuddering breaths as he couldn't hold his gaze on man that confused him so much. He wasn't going to be like him, he wasn't going to hate everyone and- he was. He was hating everything and he swallowed at the idea that he was like the person he hated. Everything crashed down and before he knew it, he wasn't in ghost form anymore, but standing there in his pajama. He gave a glance at Vlad and couldn't help but only see the bruises that had started to form and the pained look in his eyes. "Vlad…" He started softly, feeling pain in himself burn and a heavy lump in his throat. He had hurt Vlad, while there had been no need for it, the elder halfa hadn't been able to do a thing back. He hung his head and turned around, it seemed best to leave, after all, that was what he had planned all along. "I didn't lie, little badger, Jasmine really did call." Vlad stated too calm and too empty, while he had cast his eyes down as Danny looked back. It felt so tempted to call, to test if it was really true, if Vlad truly had lied to him or if all his words had been true. He didn't know what he wanted, everything seemed unreal and strange, with his nightmares too real and his dreams so far away. He stopped walking and looked at the phone on the nightstand, either his dreams or nightmares would come real the moment he called and wasn't sure if he wanted to know which. He stared longer and longer, still doubting if he should, yet his body automatically reached for the phone. Without thinking he entered the phone number and stared at the illuminated screen. It was now or never, either giving in to that small piece of hope on a dream or believing the nightmare and running away forever.

Danny's breathe shuddered and he closes his eyes as he pressed the button, bringing the phone to his ear. The phone made a connection and tingling nerves and heart in his throat he waited till someone picked up the phone. "…Hello, Maddie Fenton, Fentonworks." The kind and enthusiastic voice spoke on the other side of the line as someone picked up the phone. It knocked the air out of his lungs and he had to take a deep breath before he managed to speak. "…Mom…" A gasp was heard on the other side of the line and he held his heart. "Danny, sweetie, you are… oh… we are so sorry. We are terribly sorry, I hope you can forgive us, we didn't had an idea, but Jazz she told us." His mother rambled on the other side of the line, trying to find words for what she wanted to say, sounding desperate and hoping her son wouldn't hang up. Everything stopped for Danny as his mother's words came to understanding. Suddenly reality hit him like a brick and he didn't know what to do anymore. With his mouth open and eyes wide he stared at the wall in front of him, and only after seconds he noticed tears rolling down his cheeks. His mother knew and had indeed accepted it. It was a relief, his heart felt light, yet heavy at the same time. This meant that Vlad had spoken the truth that he indeed cared and hadn't lied and had spoken with Jazz. He couldn't move at the realization of it all, and hardly noticed how Vlad picked the phone out of his hand and took over the conversation. His voice seemed distant and only once a silence fell, he got the feeling that he could breathe again. "I'm sorry, Daniel, I didn't expect this to happen. However I do still wish to help you, if at least, you want me to." Vlad opted, standing right in front of Danny, somehow the cuffs were off, but Danny couldn't bother how that happened. Slowly, ever so slowly, Danny moved and wrapped his arms around the elder halfa while crying, and making apologies. Vlad only shushed his words and hugged him back, telling over and over that things would be okay.

Two days later his parents arrived at the mansion, accompanied by Jazz, Sam and Tucker. It was impossible for them to stay away after they found out where Danny was and had insisted on coming. Anxious he stood next to Vlad in the door opening, watching them getting out of the RV. The moment his father laid an eye on him, he ran over to him, trying to get him into a hug. As if sudden alarm bells went off in Danny's mind, he tensed and panicked internally, freezing on the spot and taking shallow breathes. Before his father had the chance to get to him Vlad stepped in front, apparently bringing back some senses in his old college friend as he calmed down and stopped his actions. A sigh of relieve left Danny's mouth and shyly he looked at his parent, still half hiding behind the elder halfa. A short glance up to Vlad told him that the man kept a stern glare and was undoubtingly protective over him. "If you are here for anything else than talking, you aren't welcome and if I even see one weapon, I will immediately and personally kick you out." The last words were clearly emphasized by the elder as he stood perfectly straight and one could almost see red coming from his eyes. It felt safe to have Vlad protecting him, even if it was a strange new experience. His parents seemed to accept it all and clearly nodded before they entered, followed by his sister and friends, who gave him a sympathetic smile. He smiled back to them, finding no need for words for the emotions they shared. It was going to take time before all that happened was behind them, he knew some things would stay but was relieved and hopeful to try and make everything work again. He had people that could help him and he could trust, giving him the strength to move past those fears.


End file.
